Barrel-washing machine.



c. B. VAN HORN. BARREL WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATIQN FILED JULY 24, l 9l3.

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BARRELWASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED IULY 24. \9l3.

Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

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c. B. VAN HORN. BARREL WASHING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 24' l9l3- I 1,212,587. v Patented Jan. 16, 1917.

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'c. B. VAN HORN. BARREL WASHING MACHINE.

APPLlCATIQN FILED JULY 24.1913.

Patented Jan. 16,1917.

4 SHEETSSHEET 4 1 a W Q w iw/ Q. *1 2 M b CHARLES B. VAN HORN, 'OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

BARREL-WASHING MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 191 '7.

Application filed July 24, 1913. Serial No. 780,975.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES B. VAN HORN, a citizen of the United States, resid ing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have in vented certain Improvements in BarrellVashing Machines, of which the following is a specification. Y 1

One object of my invention is to provide an apparatus for the washing of barrels, kegs, and similar containers, more particularly adapted for use with beer kegs which must be cleansed externally as well as internally. Y

My invention comprehends a structure having a centrally disposed carriage to which upward, forward, downward and rearward movements are I successively imparted and which serves as. a support and conveyer for the barrels-or kegs; said carriage receiving the same from a suitable runway and transferring them successively to various points in the apparatus where they will receive, first, an internal and external washing with hot water; second," an external scrubbing, and third, an internal washing with cold water. The operation of the apparatus is carried on automatically by means of suitable gearing and a cam element driven from a single power shaft which constantly rotates in one direction.

My invention includes further a brush carrying frame which is lowered simultaneously with the downward movement of the conveying carrier; the barrels being left at some distance above the level of said carrier so as to engage the brushes when the frame carrying said brushes is in the lower position.

These and other features of my invention are more fully described hereinafter, reference being had to the accompanyi'ngdrawings, in which:

Figure 1, is a side elevation of a barrel washing machine having and containing the improvements forming the subject of my invention; Fig. 2, is a sectional plan View of the same; Fig. 3, is a longitudinal sec tional elevation, showing the mechanism in one position; Fig. 4, is asimilar sectional view, showing the mechanism in another position; Figs. 5 and 6,'are diagrammatic views of gearing which may be employed in my improved machine for driving certain parts of the mechanism; and Figs. 7 and 8 are enlarged views illustrating details of my invention.

In the accompanying drawings, 1,1, represent the side frames which serve as supportlng means for the various parts of the structure, and 2 is an auxiliary frame in which are formed bearings or journals 3 for theseveral shafts transmitting the desired movements to the. various parts of the machine.

10 disposed below the shaft 5 and extending across the machine; the opposite end of said shaft being provided with a gear-wheel 11 for a purpose hereinafter described. Driven with'the' gear wheel 9 is a pinion 12 meshing with a gear wheel 13 loose on the shaft 5, and driven with said gear wheel 13 is a pinion 14 driving agear wheel 15 mounted on a sh'ort shaft or spindle 16 journaled on the frame 2, with which gear wheel '5 is combined, preferably integral therewith, a pair of camming elements 16 and 16 which camming elements operate certain portions of the apparatus in a manner hereinafter described.

The pinion 6 may serve to drive two trains of gearscomprising pinions 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 2s, 24, .25, 26, 27 and 28, extending inone direction from said pinion 6, and pinions 7, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34 and 35, extending in the opposite direction from said pinion 6. Similar trains of gears are disposed at the opposite side of the frame which are driven from a pinion 6a in mesh with the gear wheel 11 on the opposite end of the shaft 10. A modified arrangement of this portion of the driving mechanism, which modified arrangement is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 6, consists in dispensing withthe meshing pinions 17, 18, 19,20, 21, 22 and 23 on one side of the shaft 5, and pinions 29 and 30 on the other side of said shaft, and employing chain wheels-5 and 5 carriedby the driving'shaft 10,- which chain wheels drive, by means of chains 37 and 38, chain wheels 37 and 38 on the" shafts or spindles carrying the pinions 24 and 31; the latter imparting motion to the remaining pinions extending each way from said driving shaft 10.

Disposed within the side frames is a sliding barrel carr r '40 Whidb is eddition tions thereon. This barrel carrier rests upon' rollers 41 carried at'the ends of arms 42 on rock shafts 43 and 44; said. rock shafts being connected together so that movement imparted to one will be transmitted to the other. When in the raised position, thecarrieris moved forwardly by an, arm or bar 46 having a roller 47 at one end engaging the end of said carrier; said arm having rack teeth on its under side whereby it may be moved back and forth by a gear wheel 48 meshing therewith. V V

Pivoted at 50 to the rear end of the sliding carrier 40, is a barrel-lifting device comprising a leverslike structure 51 adapted to receive a barrel from a suitable runway, (not shown), and movement being 1mparted to this lever-like structure by suitable means,

' the barrel or keg upon the same will be ele- Vated and deposited upon a seat formed by a plurality of suitable rolls 52 and 53, carried by spindles or shafts having the pinions 24, 24 and 28, 28, of the gearing before re ferred to; said rolls being driven by such gearing. This lever-like structure is pivotally connected to the slidingbarrel carrier so as to be raised with it, and the ends of this lever-like structure are provided with rollers 54 for engagement with a fixed cam guide having an inclined surface 56' so that as the carrier is moved forward the lever structure is elevated into proper position to deliver a keg or barrel to said first set of rolls 52 and 53.

As is well known, all kegs are provided with bung-holes disposed in one of the staves of the same and generally disposed at the center thereof. Arranged to enter the bung-hole of a keg when mounted on the rolls 52 and 53,1 have provided a nozzle 60 for delivering hot water. This nozzle is pivotally mounted at 61 to the barrel carrier 40, and provided with a spring 62 so that it may be automatically raisedinto. the bung-hole of a barrel when the latter comes into registry therewith. During the rotation of'the keg or barrel prior to thetime the bung-hole comes into registry therewith, such nozzle contacts with the keg or barrel, and while in this position the flow of hot water is cut off.

As soon as the nozzle enters the barrel, however, the latter stops rotating, beingheld by the nozzle which is automatically lifted into the barrel by. the action of the spring 62 and by such rise effects the operation of a valve 63, permitting the flow ofhot-water into said keg or barrel. .To accomplish this result, the valve stem 64 is in engagement with one end of a bell-crank lever 65,the opposite end of said lever having a roller 66 which contacts with the barrel when the nozzle enters the bung-hole and the movement is transmitted to the valve-stem to open the valve. The mechanism controlling the operation of the apparatus is so timed that the barrel remains in this position, receiving a supply of hot water for a predetermined length of time, which, of course, may differ to take care of differing conditions. This water may be supplied from any suitable source; a hose-67 being suitably connected to. the "nozzle. In addition hot water is sprayed uponthe keg or barrel during the time it is rotating upon the rolls. 52 and 53; while it is being internally rinsed, and while it is passing from the first to the second position for external washing. This water is discharged from a. pipe 68 connected by means of a hose 69 with a suitable source of supply. hen the'end of this part of the washing treatment is reached, the barrel is automatically lifted by the sliding carrier and delivered to. a second position adjacent a series of brushes 71 for external scrubbing; the seat for the, barrel in this position being formed by driven rollers 72v which are of such a character as to positively rotate the barrel in contact with said brushes so that it will be scrubbed during the rotation. These brushes, which have been raised out of the way with the elevation of the sliding carrier, lower automatically with the carrier into contact with the barrel when it reaches the brushing position simultaneously with thelowering of the carrier and the barrel may occupy this position for a predetermined length of time.

The brushes are. mounted on frames 73, adapted to slide in supports 74 so that said brush. frames maybe. adjusted by means of A gearing (not shown) with respect to the supports? 4 depending upon the size of the barrels orkegs, The angle of these supports is such that the. brushes will lower properly into contact with various sized kegs or barrels usually employed in the packaging of beer, ale, and similar malt liquors. Centering means are carried by and movable with the, sliding frames 73, comprising guards or side pieces 78, which may be apertured for the reception and passage of vother brushes designed to engage the heads or ends of the keg or barrel.

To raise and lower the brush carrying frames, I provide a system of gearing for transmitting motion to the adjusting gearing ofthe brush frames, whereby said brush frames maybe raised and lowered, said diagonally with respect :to the frame of the machine are adjustable up and down by the means just described and they carry the centering means for the kegs so that when the latter are introduced into the machine the bung-holes of the same will be centrally disposed ready for the reception of the nozzles when brought into registry therewith. These guiding or centering means are apertured for the passage of the side brushes designed to act upon the ends of the kegs or barrels, as above described.

After the barrel has been scrubbed externally, it is moved by the carrier to a third position for an internal application of water; a discharge nozzle 100 therefor being mounted in a fixed position but carried by a swinging support in substantially the same manner as the nozzle for the hot water, and the barrel being centered over the same,

7 it is rotated by means of suitable rolls 101 until the bung-hole registers with said nozzle, and when the latter enters said opening, the valve being simultaneously opened in the manner before described, a charge of water, preferably cold, will pass into the barrel. From this position, the barrel may be finally transferred by the sliding carrier, and then removed on a suitable runway (not shown), which receives it when the said sliding carrier is lowered and retracted for engagement with other barrels.

It will be understood, of course, that after the machine is in operation three barrels are being taken care of simultaneously constantly; that is to say, one barrel is being washed internally and externally with the hot water; the second barrel is being externally scrubbed, while the third barrel is I being rinsed internally with water.

All the barrels are mounted to rotate in suitable seats comprising rollers, and the rollers disposed at the scrubbing point are somewhat larger so that barrels or kegs of the various sizes may be accommodated thereby, insuring support of the smaller kegs and barrels.

The sliding carrier has a continuous movement; first up, then forward, then down, then rearward between the several sets of rollers, and when the machine is in complete operation it is moving the four kegs or barrels at one time. By this mode of operation, and the novel relative arrangement and timed action of the working parts, an exceedingly compact type of machine is provided which occupies a very small amount of floor space, and-which reduces the time period of operation in the transfer of the barrels between the working points and the time required in the setting of the parts into working position, thus allowing a longer dwell o'r timeperiod of ing the nozzle 60, has a roller 110 disposed below the pivotal point, which roller 1s in position to engage a stop 111 suitably fixed to the element 55; such engagement shifting the position of said swinging support so that the nozzle may be removed from the bung-hole and occurring when the shdlng carrier has moved forward to shift the posi tions of the kegs or barrels. lVhen the sliding carrier has moved back, after the barrel has been deposited upon the second set of driving and supporting rolls, the roller 110 is released from contact with the stop 111 and the nozzle will be returned to its normal position by the spring 62 ready to enter the bung-hole of the next keg or barrel. The movement of the nozzle effected by the action of the stop 111 does not affect the flow of water through they valve.

As noted before, the gear wheel 15 carries the camming elements 16 and 16 on opposite sides thereof. The cam 16 on the forward side serves to operate the, sliding carrier back and forth through the medium of the rack rod 46 and the gear wheel 48 meshing therewith. To accomplish this, I pivot at 115 a gear segment 116 having a rack surface 117 meshing with a pinion 118 on a shaft 119 carrying the gear wheel 48 in engagement with the rack rod 46, and this cam is of such a character that continuous movement of said gear wheel 15 will first cause the rack to move outward, carrying with it the sliclable barrel carrier or conveyer while in an elevated position, and the second movement will carry said rack rod inward after thebarrel conveyer has been lowered, restoring the latter to the original position. The opposite side of the gear wheel 15 car ries the cam 16 for effecting the raising and lowering of the barrel conveyer.. The rock shaft 43, mounted in the frame 1 of the machine, has an arm 120 with a roller 121 disposed in the groove of this cam, and a pair of arms 42 carrying rollers 41 upon which the barrel conveyer may move. The rock shaft 44 is also provided with arms 42 carrying rollers 41. The rock shafts have arms 122 connected by a link-123 so that movement imparted by the cam 16 will be transmitted to both rock shafts simultaneously so as to effect uniform movement of the arms. 42 and insure that the barrel conveyer will be raised and lowered in horizontal planes. Movement of the roller 121 due to the cam 16 will shift said arms 42 so as to turn the rock shafts in their bearings, raising and lowering the barrel conveyer. When raised to the full height the conveyer will be moved forward by the pinion 48 engaging the rack 46; said pinion being action for the rinsing and scrubbing operadriven by the gear segment 116, and when lowered the conveyer will be retracted by the same means upon the reverse movement of said gear segment. The roller 47 on the rack rod is adapted to a guide slot 12& in a whereby up and down motion of said conveyer is permitted without interference from the rack rod.

The movement of the rock shaft 43 connected to the arm 120 directly controlled by the cam 16 is transmitted to the rock shaft 44: as described, and this latter rock shaft has arms 127 with guide-slots 128 at their outer ends for the passage of rods or arms 129 depending from the brush carrying frame; said rods or arms having collars 130 whereby when said arms 127 are lifted by the movement of the rockshaft in the elevation of the barrel conveyer, they will engage said collars and lift the brush frames clear of the barrels so that the conveyer with a fresh barrel may be re-positioned with respect to said brushes without contact therewith. This action is preferably assisted by counterbalance weights 131 carried by cords 132 passing over pulleys 133.

It will be observed that the construction described provides lost-motion 1 connections between the arms 127 and rod 129, by which a certain interval is allowed to elapse in the elevation of the rods 129, which may correspond with the period of time required in the upward movement of the carrier to bring it into engagement with the barrels, whereby the nozzles and brushes are permitted to operate for a sufficient length of time for an efficient cleansing action. This time period of lost-motion of the arms 127 also governs the extent of adjustment of the brushes and centering devices for barrels of different sizes, and may be varied by either adjustably mounting the arms 127 on the shaft 4 1 or the collars 30 on the rods 129, as will be readily understood.

The operation of my improved machine is as follows: The barrel carrier receives the barrels from a suitable conveyer which delivers them to the pivotally mounted lifting skid 51 at thereceiving end; said skid being in the lowered position when the carrier is in the lowered position. Prior to the forward movement of the carrier, the latter is raised and with it the skid; then it is moved forward, the skid turning during such movement and when the carrier reaches the limit of its forward movement the skid has completed its lifting movement and the barrel carried thereby is directly over the first set of rolls 52 and 53. The carrier is now lowered; the barrels dropping onto said rolls, and after the carrier is lowered it is moved back and when fully retracted the skid is in the lowered position ready to receive another barrel. The barrel on the rolls 52 and 53 is turned by them until the bung-hole is brought into registry with the nozzle delivering hot water (and in some instances steam); said nozzle being so positioned as to readily enter said bung-hole as the barrel turns. When the nozzle enters the bunghole, it stops the rotation of the barrel. A. fresh barrel is now delivered to the skid, and the same operation is repeated; the carrier in rising picking up the barrel from the rolls 52 and 53 and when it is moved to the limit of its forward movement said barrel has been carried to its position beneath the brushes. In like manner successive barrels are moved forward step-by-step; first to the nozzle 60; then to the brushes; then to the cold water nozzle, and finally to a position where they may be discharged from the carrier.

I claim:

1. In a barrel washing machine, the com bination of a frame, a barrel conveyer, sets of rotating rolls upon the frame for revolving the barrel at different working positions. means for vertically moving and reciprocating the conveyer at timed intervals, a pivoted vertically movable barrel lifting device upon the conveyer, and an inclined surface upon the frame in the path of forward travel of the lifting device for tilting the lifting device to deliver a barrel therefrom. to one of said sets of supporting rolls.

2. In a barrel washing machine, the combination of a frame, a barrel conveyer mounted for vertical and reciprocatory motion on the frame, sets of revolving rollers upon the frame for supporting and rotating the barrel at diflerent working positions, a pivoted, vertically tilting barrel lifting device at the rear end of the conveyer, said lifting device having an arm projecting therefrom, and a fixed cam abutment upon the frame adapted for engagement with said arm on the preliminary forward motion of the conveyer to tilt said barrel lifting device to delivery position.

3. The combination, in a barrel washing machine, of a frame having separated sides, independent sets of rotatable supports for barrels journaled upon the respective sides, a barrel conveyer arranged to move vertically and horizontally between said separated frame sides and the said sets of independent rotatable barrel supports, means for raising and lowering said conveyer, means for reciprocating said conveyer, a pivoted barrel lifting device at the receiving end of said conveyer, and means upon the frame for engagement with said barrel lifting device to tilt the same for the delivery of a barrel to the conveyer.

4. In a barrel washing machine, the com bination of a frame, a barrel conveyer, means for raising and lowering said conveyer in the frame, roller supports for said conveyer, a horizontal rack slidable vertically upon said rack, and means for operating said pinion to reciprocate the conveyer longitudinally.

5,. In a barrel Washing machine, the combination of a frame, a barrel conveyer, roller supports for said conveyer, rocking arms carrying said roller supports, means for rocking said arms to raise and lower the conveyer, and means for reciprocating the conveyer longitudinally in said frame.

6. In a barrel washing machine, the combination of a frame, a barrel conveyer, roller supports for said conveyer, rocking arms carrying said roller supports, means for rocking said arms, a horizontal rack slidable vertically upon the conveyer, a pinion in engagement with the rack, and means for operating said pinion to'reciprocate the con veyer longitudinally.

7 In a barrel washing machine, the combination of a frame, a vertically and horizontally movable barrel conveyer, a pair of rock shafts, arms carried by said rock shafts, connecting means between said arms, rollers Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the supporting the conveyor mounted on said arms, a second arm carried by one of said rock shafts, a cam inengagement with said arm, and means for operating said cam whereby the roller supporting arms may be raised and lowered.

'8. In a barrel washing machine, the c0mbination with a frame, provided with washing mechanism, of shafts provided with cranks and antifriction devices, carriages supported upon said antifriction devices, means to rock said shafts to elevate said carriages, and means to move the carriages toward the rear end of the machine when they are elevated and toward the front end of the machine when they are lowered.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

CHARLES B. VAN HORN.

Witnesses:

MURRAY 0. BOYER, WM. A. BARR.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). C. 

